In our neighborhood, all the kids would gather for huge games of Red Rover or crack the whip. We rode our bikes all over the neighborhood, well out of sight of our houses. It felt like we had enormous freedom, but moms were actually keeping an eye on us from within their expansive mom network.
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In the 1970s, KISS exploded into our world. For a kid, KISS was the absolute coolest band imaginable. They had over-the-top makeup that masked their true looks and provided them with alter-egos. The coolest kids used snail mail to join their fan club, the KISS Army.
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Action figures in the 1970s featured GI Joe, Star Trek, Star Wars, and every superhero imaginable. Fonzie from Happy Days, Sonny and Cher, and Evel Knievel had figures as well. Two of the greatest were The Six Million Dollar Man (complete with bionic eye) and his foe, Bionic Bigfoot.
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This motorcycle daredevil captured the world's attention when his record-breaking jumps were televised on ABC's Wide World of Sports. Neighborhood kids were constantly striving to be just like him, and everyone knew at least one kid who ended up in the emergency room after taking it too far in an attempt to play "jump Snake River Canyon.”
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Before the days of caller ID, you could phone people and they had no way of knowing it was you. "Is your refrigerator running?" and "Do you have Prince Albert in a can?" are all-time classics!
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One of the best things about being a kid in the 1970s was being able to see Star Wars first. Before it was a worldwide phenomenon, it was a movie we enjoyed. Having the first Star Wars toys was a great bragging point too!
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As kids in the 70s, we were free from constraints like seatbelts and bike helmets. Moms piled us into the back of station wagons, and we climbed back and forth over the seats of moving cars. Of course, this isn’t safe, but it was fun at the time!
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You could stretch the arms and legs of these muscled action figures for a couple of feet, and they would slowly return to their original shape. Part of the fun of Stretch Armstrong was the mystery of what was inside him. There was always some kid who found a way to cut the toy open. When you discovered he was filled with oozy gel, you had to face the wrath of your mom!
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Since there was no way to record TV, you had to watch your favorite shows at their scheduled time. There were no spoilers from friends. If you missed a show, you simply missed the show! The great thing is that there were only three channels (four if you count PBS), so you and your friends always had something common to talk about.
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Before the internet, magazines were a way to link kids from around the country. During the peak of its circulation, ‘70s kids learned humor and satire from Mad magazine. It had so much impact that its mascot, Alfred E. Neuman, has become the face of 70s childhood.
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